Sunlight Damage - suggestions from the experts

 Almost every carpet will lighten in color or fade over a period of time. The extent of the damage depends on: the location, exposure, color, intensity, and type of dye, and method of dyeing. A rug that has been solution-dyed (or producer-colored) is least susceptible to sunfading. The pigments are added to the polymer before the fibers are formed, locking in the color. Most polypropylene (olefin), many acrylics, and some polyester and nylon rugs are dyed using this method.

Lighter shades will usually fade more quickly than darker shades because they contain less dye. Most dyes are composed of two or more colors. If one color is affected more than the others, the fading may appear as a color change rather than a lightening of the color. For example, a green carpet yarn is made from blue and yellow dyes. If the yellow dye is affected and the blue is not, the green rug may be turning more blue. In other  instances the colors may fade uniformly, appearing as a lighter shade of the original color. In severe cases the color may be completely removed and can appear to be "bleached" white. The fiber itself can also deteriorate.

You may able to prevent carpet from fading in sunny locations by keeping the windows covered with draperies or by treating the windows with a UV cover (tint) to filter the ultra violet rays. If you live in an area where sunlight fading is a problem, shop carefully for your next rug.

Very often, this problem can be solved by moving your rugs around the house every six months or so. If you want the rug to stay put, just turn it around so the area that is exposed to sunlight is moved and levelled out. It's always good practive to move your rugs around the house if you can so that they get a change of placement, wear and UV exposure - tactics such as these could extend the life of your rugs by years.

RugSale.com - A guest of NECN's "Dream Home"

We were grateful to be invited to meet the gracious host of New England Cable Network's "Dream House", Jenny Johnson on her show and talk about some points about buying rugs online with RugSale.com.

Jenny Johnson is a neat and friendly person who is excited about anything that has to do with design, food and fun, she was very interested in learning more about our site and how much easier it is to purchase rugs online these days than in the traditional department store.

We talked about contemporary rugs mostly, even showed her a few Oriental Weavers samples on camera. We mentioned points such as size, color and selection and why you want to have a good, strong brand for your home like Momeni, Capel or Oriental Weavers - so that it will last and you get your money's worth.

For more details on this article - you can click on this link here to see the entire segment. Thanks again to Jenny, Deb, Julie and the entire crew at New England Cable News for taking the time to talk to us about Rugs and how RugSale.com can make buying a rug online so much easier.

An Oktoberfest of Color - all over your floor...

Now is your favorite time of year, isn't it? You love the warm apple cider, the pumpkins on the fence, the leaves changing and the crispness in the air.... Autumn is ideal for color.

Why is that? Why do we celebrate (some of us anyway) when the air begins to chill and the leaves start to fall - after all, it doesn't happen everywhere (does it LA, didn't think so), and there are plenty of people out there who really dislike having to put on long pants again.

Color seems to be the answer - it's not just about the temperatures or the flavors - it's the change of color. It's an opporunity to make your home lively, in season and fresh. You get to change all that green and bright yellow to royal golds, reds, oranges and navy - come one, even if you live on Hawaii, it's still fun to change the house around every once in a while.

Colors reflect our mood - whether we are contemporary or traditional, kids or adults, mild or strong - a world without color is a dull place. Here are some great suggestions for usage of color:

1.) Red - use it for accents, backgrounds and canvasses - some red(s) can make other colors pop and give them a regal sense of design

2.) Yellow/Gold - this is an accent color, place it on brown, black or red and should make the affect of the sun shining

3.) Orange - depends on your usage. Orange could either be accent or canvas. Don't go too wild with orange, moderation is key.

4.) Black - just like orange, just much and your place is dark, too little and there is no contrast. Use it as you feel you need, but remember that black is a strong color to use anywhere

5.) Green- kelly green, hunter green or deep green. All these versions are regal and sincere. Lighter version should wait for the spring.

Use these thoughts when placing down your rugs and designing you latest room(s) - colors can make or break your design. When looking for rugs, especially during this season, remember that there is less light coming into your house/apartment, that the seasons look better with deeper colors and your floor makes your design.